Route 10 East to close for months in East Hanover due to bridge work

EAST HANOVER — Starting Saturday night, the Route 10 bridge over the Passaic River, connecting East Hanover to Livingston, will be closed for eastbound traffic through the end of 2014, according to the state Department of Transportation.

The Route 10 bridge connecting East Hanover and Livingston will be reconstructed.Google Maps

Motorists should expect construction and detours on Route 10 as the current bridge — which is described by the DOT as structurally deficient and functionally obsolete — is replaced with a new deck, beams, bearings and parapets as part of a $3.5 million federally funded project.

The state also plans to resurface the roadway approaches on Route 10 in both directions.

Route 10 carries two 12-foot wide travel lanes in each direction over the bridge with 6-foot sidewalks. The construction work will be performed in stages, with one side of the bridge closed at a time, the DOT said.

The eastbound lanes will be reconstructed during the first stage, which is anticipated to last for about three months. After that stage is complete, the contractor will close the westbound half of the bridge and shift westbound traffic onto the newly constructed eastbound side, the DOT said.

Persistent Construction, the DOT's contractor, is scheduled to close Route 10 East at River Road at 8 p.m. Saturday in order to begin demolition and reconstruction of the eastbound side of the bridge, according to the DOT.

Eastbound traffic will be detoured for the entire duration of the project, but westbound traffic on Route 10 will remain open, the DOT said.

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Motorists traveling on Route 10 eastbound will be directed to River Road, Old Mount Pleasant Avenue and back onto Route 10 eastbound after Okner Parkway, according to the DOT.

Local traffic for businesses between River Road and the bridge, and between Okner Parkway and the bridge will be maintained at all times, the DOT said.

Temporary traffic signals are planned at the intersection of River Road and Old Mount Pleasant Avenue, and at Old Mount Pleasant Avenue and Okner Parkway to improve traffic flow at those intersections during construction, the DOT reported.

Signs on Route 10 will alert motorists to traffic pattern changes. The DOT anticipates completing the project by the end of the year.